Chairman Trevor Kennett insists Herne Bay will not rush to appoint Simon Halsey’s successor as manager but hopes to have the new man in place within a fortnight.

Halsey was sacked last Thursday after the 3-1 home defeat to Corinthian Casuals and Bay immediately advertised for applicants, with Mr Kennett revealing more than 40 candidates would be whittled down to a shortlist ahead of potential interviews next week.

Among those to have ruled themselves out of the role are former Bay boss Jason Lillis, set to join the coaching team at Whitstable this summer and Sittingbourne manager Jim Ward.

Mr Kennett said: "We have had over 40 applicants from all sorts of people, from experienced managers, ex-Ryman League managers and former pros to an 11-year-old who won the Champions League with Manchester United on FIFA 13.

"It’s a mixed bag but it will give us a nice shortlist once applications close at the end of the week. Hopefully, we’ll get something done in the next couple of weeks."

Mr Kennett said sacking Halsey, who led Bay to the Kent League title and FA Vase semi-finals last season, was "one of the most difficult things I have had to do."

He said: "It was not a hasty decision. We sat down a few weeks ago for a discussion about all sorts of things, changes we could make to freshen things up.

"We weren’t talking about it being a new manager at that point but changes to the team and how we were going about things. It just wasn’t happening and virtually everyone, the supporters, players and committee weren’t happy with the way things were going with performances and results.

"What brought it to a head was the performance on Thursday. The supporters were voting with their feet – Thursday’s crowd of 115 was the lowest I can remember, it was terrible."